Marriage Equality: Five Things You Can Do Right Now
Editor’s note: In November 2025, the Supreme Court denied Kim Davis’s request to revisit Obergefell v Hodges.
By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the headlines about Kim Davis’s request for the Supreme Court to reconsider its landmark marriage equality decision, Obergefell v. Hodges – the case that affirmed the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. I’m sure many of you — like me — read these headlines with a heavy heart.
While these headlines can feel alarming, I want to share important context, lay out the facts, and most importantly, call you to action.
First: This is only a request to hear the case again.
The Supreme Court receives thousands of requests like this each year, and they only agree to grant a small fraction of them. There is no guarantee that they will give the case another look. The truth is that the case for marriage equality rests on a strong foundation, and public support for marriage equality remains high.
Second: We didn’t win marriage equality just because of the Obergefell decision.
We got here because our community came together and told our real stories about love and family. Those stories opened hearts, changed minds, and built a foundation of understanding that cannot be easily undone.
And finally – we are standing strong, together.
Family Equality has a long history of pursuing and protecting marriage equality. In fact, it was our families’ stories that influenced Obergefell in the first place. Our team as been working tirelessly with movement partners to:
- Shore up the patchwork of family protections at the state level
- Fight any legislature or court that attempts to undermine the validity of our marriages
- Educate lawmakers, businesses, providers, and educators to create inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ families
- Mobilize supporters to take meaningful action in defense of equality for all
My friend Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges and Family Equality board member, put it beautifully:
It’s alarming and disheartening to see yet another attempt to undermine the freedom to marry — a freedom the Supreme Court affirmed in our case ten years ago. This isn’t just about me or my late husband, John. It’s about millions of LGBTQ+ people whose marriages, families, and dignity are at stake. At its core, it’s about family. Love makes a family, and no court, politician, clerk, or individual’s religious belief should have the power to erase that truth.
Action is the antidote.
It’s never easy to see our families’ rights debated on the national stage – especially when so many of us have carried this weight for far too long. But our strength and resolve will carry us forward.
Here are five things you can do right now:
- Stay informed and share the truth. Get your information from experts deep in this work – us here at Family Equality and our partners at GLAD Law, NCLR, COLAGE, Movement Advancement Project, and others.
- Take steps to protect your marriage and family. Explore our resources and then strengthen protections for your family. See the resources on our site and check out the collaborative resource we crafted with our movement partners.
- Tell your story. Share what marriage and family mean to you with friends, neighbors, lawmakers, and your local media.
- Reach out to lawmakers. Remind them that the freedom to marry matters to you, your family, and your community.
- Support the work. Donate to Family Equality and other organizations fighting to protect our freedoms.
Together, we’ve fought for – and won – the freedom to marry. We will not sit idly by and watch those rights be taken away. We stand for ALL families and I hope you’ll stand with us.
Love makes a family and, together, we will protect it.
Additional Resources:
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Our Stories and Sources of Inspiration
Darra Gordon
CEO, Family Equality
